Aussie hoax call DJ's

[Guest Helchops]

Thanks Hellchops - but it's Rich & Chit - sure it was just a typo!

 

Ok...are you arguing over an ampersand? Really?!

[Guest Mrs Bon Jovi]

Ok...are you arguing over an ampersand? Really?!

 

More to do with the fact that you put an 'L' in Chit instead of the 'H' in your original post I would think...

[Guest Helchops]

That's hilarious, but a genuine typo - I couldn't see that Snifter had edited my post. Apologies Chit.

[The Monaghans]

I suspect the poor nurse felt under terrible pressure and wa worried that she may have been disciplined for putting the call through in the first place. I'm not baying for the blood of the dj's but I do think they should be held accountable. This poor woman's family has been ripped apart by a "joke"', there are children who have lost a mother and a husband who has lost a wife. However you feel about this "prank", that's a bloody awful consequence.

[minty]

And the proof that the 2 are linked and there are no other circumstances is?

 

Yes it's sad but why do people jump to conclusions.

[Guest Guest75]

And the proof that the 2 are linked and there are no other circumstances is?

 

Yes it's sad but why do people jump to conclusions.

 

"Jumping to conclusions" is the only exercise some folk get Chris..........:biglaugh:

 

It's easier walking on Lego in bare feet in the dark than arguing with some!!!

Edited December 9, 2012 by Guest75
Shpeeeling mishtak.

[Toni]

As is the case with some "conversations/discussions" we have on PIA it seems to degenerate into a "who is right & who is wrong" kind of thing. We can't see that people have a different point of view and perhaps see some "truth" in what they are saying or that people are genuine with their comments. There have been degrading comments of PIA members being "hypocrites" and also after the DJs blood and jumping to conclusions. There has been a lot of jumping to conclusions. I can't see anywhere that anyone has said that these people should hurt themselves or after their blood. Now that's pretty dramatic. People have merely said that they should be held accountable. If we don't hold people accountable for their actions and don't learn from mistakes then surely the same thing could occur again. Hopefully the hospital has put some processes in place so that "hoax" calls can't be done again in this way. They may be "funny" but they are not funny when they have this sort of consequence. Yes, no-one could have foreseen this happening but one can't argue that it hasn't had some serious consequences. Even if the radio station won't admit it they won't be doing that in a hurry again. I personally think that the DJs exercised poor judgement but they would not have done this off their own back without getting permission from their boss. It's the radio station and hospital that did not protect their workers by having the correct processes in place.

 

Also, surely the "Royals" have a right to their privacy . We forget that they are people too. A young married couple looking forward to their first child and the media, already seem to be in a frenzy about them. I think the media have a place in society but they always have a way of twisting the truth and sadly trying to cover up their mistakes seems to be occuring here too.

[minty]

As is the case with some "conversations/discussions" we have on PIA it seems to degenerate into a "who is right & who is wrong" kind of thing. We can't see that people have a different point of view and perhaps see some "truth" in what they are saying or that people are genuine with their comments. There have been degrading comments of PIA members being "hypocrites" and also after the DJs blood and jumping to conclusions. There has been a lot of jumping to conclusions. I can't see anywhere that anyone has said that these people should hurt themselves or after their blood. Now that's pretty dramatic. People have merely said that they should be held accountable. If we don't hold people accountable for their actions and don't learn from mistakes then surely the same thing could occur again. Hopefully the hospital has put some processes in place so that "hoax" calls can't be done again in this way. They may be "funny" but they are not funny when they have this sort of consequence. Yes, no-one could have foreseen this happening but one can't argue that it hasn't had some serious consequences. Even if the radio station won't admit it they won't be doing that in a hurry again. I personally think that the DJs exercised poor judgement but they would not have done this off their own back without getting permission from their boss. It's the radio station and hospital that did not protect their workers by having the correct processes in place.

 

Also, surely the "Royals" have a right to their privacy . We forget that they are people too. A young married couple looking forward to their first child and the media, already seem to be in a frenzy about them. I think the media have a place in society but they always have a way of twisting the truth and sadly trying to cover up their mistakes seems to be occuring here too.

 

So that will be you jumping to conclusions then.

 

I said people have been baying for blood as they have on social media and radio call ins etc. not mentioned PIA.

 

I also said some people are hypocritical idiots ie People who do the same then bay for the blood of others without knowing facts but again never mentioned PIA members.

[Toni]

So that will be you jumping to conclusions then.

 

I said people have been baying for blood as they have on social media and radio call ins etc. not mentioned PIA.

 

I also said some people are hypocritical idiots ie People who do the same then bay for the blood of others without knowing facts but again never mentioned PIA members.

 

 

Reading back what you said, I think have jumped to a conclusion and I apologise for that. I can see why though as you don't mention specifically that it was "others" that you meant. But I guess that is the "online Forum" experience that can sometimes be misunderstood but good that you clarified it. I am glad you don't think that PIA people are hippocrites - as I think that this is a community that we are all allowed to have opinions and that we shouldn't be shot down about those opinions. I personally gain a lot from comments that people make on this forum. I sometimes see things in a different way and I personally don't mind someone changing my mind about something as long as it is done in a "respecful" way.

[minty]

No need for anyone to apologise to anyone, after all we are only human and we all make mistakes and at times we can all be hypocritical and jump to conclusions including me and others in the forum.

 

And it's for this reason I won't demonise what was a joke. Yes there is a possibility that it could have had unforeseen circumstances but it is not proven its linked and yes in hindsight it was foolish and maybe crass but when all is said and done it was just a no maliciousness intended joke and the reaction to it as such has been completely disproportionate. That's not even getting into the fact the DJs would have had producers that would have given the green light for it to be done.

[lorluc]

I was listening to a guy from beyond blue this morning...an organisation for people with depression, anxiety and other issues.

 

Something he said, i think, is very true. He has actually asked for the DJ's now to be left alone....apparantley one of them is in a very fragile state, and he pointed out that if this media and public barage continues, there could be another tradegy to result out of this.

 

At the end of the day, whether you agree with prank calls or not, these DJ's will have been authorised by their bosses to carry this out. I dont think anyone could ever have envisaged a tradegy to occur like it has...but the main question that i think needs to be asked and the facts established...is whether after the recording, permission was sought to air it. If permission wasnt granted ( and i believe it has to be), then the radio station concerned is the one who should be condemmed...not the DJ's...

[Diane]

Apparently they (as in the Radion station not the DJs) "tried several times to contact the hospital involved before going to air with the item"...but what i can't understand is if they were unsuccessful in their attempts, why did they still go ahead? Even if such a tragedy hadn't occurred - and whether it was connected at all hasn't been determined yet - surely anyone could see that this could possibly result in the nurse they spoke to losing her job for breach of patient confidentiality? And causing someone to lose their job can't be a laughing matter, can it? Especially this close to Christmas...

 

I think whoever made the decision to air the item should put their hand up and admit it was them, and apologise, not leave those poor young DJs - who are barely more than kids - to take the blame. No winners in this case at all.

[Sallyh]

It is so so so sad. I am really sad for the nurse's family, I think the press have learned nothing from what they did to Prince William's mother, and they need to leave the Duchess of Cambridge alone - the newspapers etc have gloated that the Middletons knew before the Royal family, and really the early stages of pregnancy are no-one's business. She shouldn't have to go through any of it in the spotlight.

 

BUt I saw people I like (though don't always like their sense of humour) saying on FB that they thought it was terrible (the stunt) and still chuckling a bit - when it first came out, and before the suicide. I think most of the people who now want blood would probably have had a tiny laugh at the ridiculous stunt and not quite so much what they did but the fact that it actually worked. I can't say I am one of those ( I thought it was an invasion of privacy like everyone here, I don't like You've Been Framed, I hated Noel Edmonds stuff, Jeremy Beadle, all that stuff and I can't stand humiliation of any kind).

 

However, I don't think that these DJs can be held responsible for someone else's free will or actions post event. If it was *snigger snigger* however many days ago, why is it not funny now? Because someone died. People are fickle, and cannot be trusted in these circumstances. The vigilantes are likely hypocrites.

 

Suicide is a serious thing. I don't believe it can be all that was going on in this situation (though we are never likely to be found out because everyone "needs" it to be the "fault" of the DJs. It isn't their "fault". They were stupid but can't be held accountable in my view.

 

Someone else might have turned the situation into a totally different story. Appointed Max whatever his name is as their agent, sold their story to the papers, maybe even get a book deal or some time on telly. They could make money out of it, and the DJs could never claim responsibility for the wealth, or ask for a cut! They are not responsible for the outcome, although of course what they did was morally wrong for so many reasons.

 

I am praying about this situation in different ways. Obviously for the family of the nurse. For the Duchess of CAmbridge, because the death would not have happened if she hadn't been in hospital, and what should be a joyful secret time for her, is marred, and she will never forget it. I hope she stays well and the stress doesn't do bad things to her body. I have great compassion for the DJs, and really feel for them. They thought they were being stupid, they thought there wasn't a chance of the stunt working, and they have learned the hardest way of all about sport at someone else's expense.

 

This situation is dire. No-one wins, not even if someone somewhere manages to see "justice done". I heard that British politicians were calling for them to be held accountable. For what? Only for privacy and broadcasting stuff, there's no way they can legally be held accountable for the death. I think the moral accountability is tenuous, because it involves someone else's free will. I think the MPs are just trying to look popular in typical knee jerk votes win prizes fashion.

Edited December 10, 2012 by Sallyh

[Sallyh]

Anyone seen / read / remember An Inspector Calls? (J B Priestly). Reminds me of that.

 

I really LOVED what I read on this thread. Ring people up, support your friends and family. SMILE at strangers.

 

There is a true story of a suicide note from a bridge jumper who said "If ONE single person had smiled at me on the way here, I wouldn't have done it".

 

Smile. Love. Be kind.

[Beanbear]

[h=2]prank[/h]¹ [prangk] Show IPA

noun a trick of an amusing, playful, or sometimes malicious nature.

 

I have no idea how anyone would find it funny to invade someone's privacy when they are in hospital - whoever they might be and I don't buy into all the talk of it just being a joke that went wrong. At the very least they could have been the cause of someone losing their job - a couple of weeks before Xmas with kids to support. If you incite someone to break the rules by confusing and manipulating them whilst laughing and seeking to share their humiliation you are a bully.

 

Suicide is a very complicated kind of death to deal with and of course we don't know all the facts and probably never will. Having experienced thatI felt such enormous sadness that this may well have been an avoidable death for someone's amusement and career! I just feel so cross at the way people continually shirk any sense of responsibility these days; it's always just an accident. Wrong. Think carefully before you act and remember the moral responsibility we have to be respectful to each other as fellow human beings.

[Guest brianlynnette]

well my thoughts are......hoax calls get made everyday back home, here in oz america to name a few, it is a sad outcome to the event but the djs meant no malice it was a prank that went wrong, what id like to know is was this nurse suffering with depression and this might of just been the thing to tip her over?? she didnt even give any info out she just passed the call on?? i feel so sorry for her family but also feel sorry for the djs... thats just my opinion tho

[Guest brianlynnette]

forgot to say i dont even know why this subject was put on here anyway??

[snifter]

well my thoughts are......hoax calls get made everyday back home, here in oz america to name a few, it is a sad outcome to the event but the djs meant no malice it was a prank that went wrong, what id like to know is was this nurse suffering with depression and this might of just been the thing to tip her over?? she didnt even give any info out she just passed the call on?? i feel so sorry for her family but also feel sorry for the djs... thats just my opinion tho

 

Since the Sachs, Brand/Ross call there have been changes in policy about this sort of thing in the UK, at least on the BBC. It really did cause big upset and Ross was suspended, Brand quit and people behind the scenes walked or were sacked.

 

From the news reports I've seen/read she was apparently in good health, happy and had no mental health issues.

[Willber]

Before leaving the UK most radio shows (local & national) were doing prank calls for entertainment so to jump on the back of the DJ's involved in this is a bit harsh.

 

Ok its a tragic outcome, but the producer's broadcast the call, the 'big boss' ok'd the air play so there are more than just 2 DJ's involved.

 

Anyway don't hospitals have protocol to follow especially with royalty and surely she would have had a phone right next to her bed with a private line.

 

I believe there is more to the suicide than this, and i heard there was a suicide note. GET A GRIP!!!!! What next, man commits suicide after losing job, boss arrested for sacking him............................

[Guest Bonita]

I totally agree with you 'Beanbear'. As even though nobody could have seen the tragic circumstances that occurred, however like you said the DJS knew that if their 'prank call' was successful that someone could potentially be reprimanded etc. I also think you are spot on with your remarks about mo-one ever taking responsibility for their actions. I am also getting a bit fed up with people 'feeling sorry' for the DJ's . Priorities definately wrong here or am I the only one who thinks that all the sympathy should be with a family whose lives will never be the same!

[catherine.c]

prank

 

¹ [prangk] Show IPA

noun a trick of an amusing, playful, or sometimes malicious nature.

 

I have no idea how anyone would find it funny to invade someone's privacy when they are in hospital - whoever they might be and I don't buy into all the talk of it just being a joke that went wrong. At the very least they could have been the cause of someone losing their job - a couple of weeks before Xmas with kids to support. If you incite someone to break the rules by confusing and manipulating them whilst laughing and seeking to share their humiliation you are a bully.

 

Suicide is a very complicated kind of death to deal with and of course we don't know all the facts and probably never will. Having experienced thatI felt such enormous sadness that this may well have been an avoidable death for someone's amusement and career! I just feel so cross at the way people continually shirk any sense of responsibility these days; it's always just an accident. Wrong.

*********Think carefully before you act and remember the moral responsibility we have to be respectful to each other as fellow human beings************.

 

Now I will probably get torn apart by saying this but perhaps the nurse herself also had a responsibility, to the patient, to her colleagues, to her employer - but most of all to her family. How anyone could inflict that grief on their loved ones I will never know.

[noworriesmate]

I totally agree with you 'Beanbear'. As even though nobody could have seen the tragic circumstances that occurred, however like you said the DJS knew that if their 'prank call' was successful that someone could potentially be reprimanded etc. I also think you are spot on with your remarks about mo-one ever taking responsibility for their actions. I am also getting a bit fed up with people 'feeling sorry' for the DJ's . Priorities definately wrong here or am I the only one who thinks that all the sympathy should be with a family whose lives will never be the same!

 

There is sympathy for the family of the nurse - lots of it but I believe it is not the DJ's that are responsible. Firstly it is there job to come up with all kinds of ideas to boost ratings and therefore boost income from advertisers some of their ideas will be accepted by the producers some won't. It is the producers responsibility to weed out the ideas that are not within the law or don't meet the strict guidelines that the radio license holders are governed by.

 

In this instance, their antics were so farcical (i.e. pretending to be the queen and making dog noises in the background) that there was no expectation that the 'prank' would get any further than the receptionist. The nurse in question was not the butt of the joke and actually played no part except transferring a call to someone else. IMHO if we start vilifying the DJ's it is a very slippery slope that we would walk on. Having worked with suicidal people for many years, sometimes a look from someone can be enough to make people feel rejected, or a comment taken the wrong way. Yes of course people need to be responsible for what they do and say but imo so does the nurse. It was a totally selfish and unreasonable act to deprive children of a long term relationship by the mother killing herself - If she were still alive she would also need to take responsibility for her actions.

 

NWM

[minty]

I do laugh at things like this not because of what happened but by how righteous people can be by other people's mistakes. They view themselves as superior beings that have never made mistakes, never got something wrong, never upset someone.

 

Yeah right, we're all only human.

[AussieRob]

Here's my thoughts...

 

The prank call was silly and stupid, but not really my level of humour. However there was no malice or really anything even to make any of the nurses look stupid to be embarrassed about.

 

it's more likely to me she was either in an abusive marriage (not seen any photo's of her smile).

prince Philip organised it, after all he did Princess Di.

The hospital bullied her and she felt it was the only way out.

 

If anyone reads this and thinks I have lost my mind, yeah maybe, but they actually make slightly more sense than a call from 2 dj's asking to be put through to the ward making her commit suicide. If that was such a stressful job, dead receptionists would scatter the streets of the UK. (sorry if the dark attempt at humour offended anyone)

 

After watching the news though this morning, and seeing some MP asking for answers from the radio show, it could be enough to make this country become a republic, I don't think many aussies like being told what's right and wrong from the motherland as if the UK as never done anything wrong, and let's be honest on a scale of 1-10 for what's wrong, this would barely muster a 2, Jimmy Saville would be a 10.

 

Besides this, have a great day everyone.

[minty]

DJs are now receiving death threats. Very sad.